Q's about baby food/formula on cruiseships....

[McCutie]

...We are in the process of booking a cruise for May and we have a baby who will be 8 months old by the time we go and when I went to the travel agency she told me to ask about "special requests/diets" for food and she said that they carry baby food.

 

I was wondering if this is correct? And do they also supply formula if we request it?

 

Any experiences or suggestions...besides leaving baby at home with the grandparents :) ?

[serene56]

You will have to call the cruise lines and ask them to send you a lsit of stuff they will offer. You get to check off what you want. I know they offer foods-- not formulas since there are sooo many brands out there. If your baby is fussy you may want to take your own stuff onboard with you.

[McCutie]

Thanks for the info!!!

[serene56]

I did a seach for cruising with infants and found this article that may come in handy for you.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/articles.cfm?ID=11

[beachwarmer]

I cruised with my DD when she was 8 months. We sailed out of NYC to Bermuda, and spent the night before at a hotel. We boarded the ship early, dropped off our carry ons and then went back off the ship to buy baby formula at a drug store. We also made sure we brought bottled water and stuck to the same brand because I heard that baby's tummy's can be sensitive to any changes.

 

We also brought her infant car seat with us and used it to carry her to the dining room for dinner when she was asleep. This way we could just rock her back to sleep when she started to wake up. It was handy to have for the taxi rides too...even though she was in a regular car seat at home.

 

The Baby Bjorn was a god send for when we were waiting in line to get on/off the ship and great for when we were in port. We did bring a small stroller too, but walks around the deck were great with the carrier.

 

When we booked a cabin we chose one that only had another cabin on one side. We were right next to a lobby/elevator area, which was excellent when the baby cried at night. We would just head right out to the lobby down one flight of stairs and out to the prominade deck. She would go right back to sleep walking around the deck and we did not worry about bothering other passengers. The little lobby area also provided a nice sitting area and larger area for her to play in during the day.

 

I also read about bringing a blow up swimming pool. We used it not as suggested but, since we did not have a bath tub in our cabin we used it in the shower to run water into and then bath her in. It made life easier for a child that does not like showers. We also brought a covered blow up floating seat for when we went to the beach so that she was shaded.

 

Our DD learned to walk on the way back from Bermuda, even though we left a day early because of a hurricane. She took her first steps in Bermuda and really started to get going on the ship home. We had a great time, and are headed back on a cruise to Bermuda in a couple of weeks with her. It is a different cruise than when we didn't have children, but so much fun. You will have a great time.

 

If you have any other questions please ask as I can't remember any other specifics that stick you as must brings.

[McCutie]

Oh Beachwarmer & Serene!! You are such dolls! Thanx for the info~ We are leaving from Boston to Bermuda and our dd will be just about 8 months old! She came "with" us last year when I was pregnant so I guess this will be cruise #2 for her :) We did book a cabin away from everyone asmuch as we could..

 

....I just have a few more questions.....The crib in the cabin....Should I still bring the pack n' play?

and I am sure they do but do they have highchairs?

 

 

any other helpful hints?

 

thanx again

[serene56]

The cruise lines cribs are pack and plays-- you may want to bring your own sheets. ANd the cruiselines do have high chairs. Visit the dining room when you get onboard and look at your table. Tell the matre de to make sure you have a high chair ready

[beachwarmer]

McCutie,

 

We are headed back on the Majesty May 8 to Bermuda.

 

NCL provides Pack and Plays. They were very clean, but the sheet was just a regular one folded. We brought one of our own and a blanket because the room did get cool.

 

One thing to prepare for with NCL and freestyle dining is that people would rather wait to eat than sit at a table with baby. We asked several times to sit in a group but the table always remained empty and we ate alone. We would wait until DD fell asleep and bring her to the dinning room asleep in her car seat and yet still know one would eat with us. Just be prepared for that..but if you want to eat alone it is no problem.

 

In Bermuda Tabacco Bay is perfect for babies. Horseshoe Bay has a little cove to the right over a little hill when you enter. It is great for kids too. We use to live in Bermuda, and I actually was very pregnant with DD when we moved from there. We took her back to meet all our friends.

 

The staff really were wonderful with her and the photographers took some great photos. We purchased the package with all the photos they take for $149. I am not sure if they still offer this, but all these photos made excellent gift for family. I think the photographer took extra pictures because of the baby. We must have over 40 8x10 photos.

 

You will have a great trip.